Along came Trannies
by barcode-babe-210
Summary: I used to think that i was normal, that I was just another little girl who was in an accident and had amnesia. ok, so bad story to feed a kid, but it's true. but then, along came my estranged family, and they changed my life. And now, i'm home. MZ BL
1. Dine & Dash

Liz is sitting on top of the Space Needle, reflecting on the events that have taken place and telling her side of the story,

1. "Isn't life funny? I mean, we never notice what we need to until it's too late. You think we'd learn, but it just keeps happening. But we need to learn lessons the hard way. Otherwise we wouldn't remember them. Some people say that it makes you strong to go through tough times, but I don't feel much stronger. Whatever. All I know is that life was a whole lot easier when I didn't know. But now that I do, it's hard to imagine what my life would be like if I was still living like I used to."

Dream Sequence

I'm having the dream again. I've had it since I can remember. I'm in a depressing blue-gray room, surrounded by other children about four years old, their attention focused on a girl sitting next to me.They all hang on her every word. "Come on Jondy, tell us again." says a young black-haired boy, sitting close to me.

"Well," begin," One day I'm going to get away from Manticore. We all are. We can't stay here. They'll kill us. So, I say that we make a pact. We all have to live normal lives. That's the only way we'll be happy." I feel my stomach fall. I get a feeling of mixed excitement and fear in the pit of my stomach. I voice my concerns, "Manticore will never stop looking for us. Who's going to save us if we need help?"

A blonde boy sitting behind me puts his arm around my shoulder. "I will.Liz. I promise to watch over you." I feel relieved. "Promise,Ben?" I ask, making sure that he'll stay to his promise. He nods and smiles at me, and I grin back.

"Hey. what are you kids doing in there?" a guard asks in a gruff voice. We all run back to our cots and pretend to be asleep. "Goodnight, Liz." says Zach, who sleeps on the cot next to mine. "Goodnight, Zach."

"BEEP BEEP BEEP!" my alarm clock screeches in my ear. Mumbling that I want to dismember whoever invented the alarm clock, I throw the covers off of my bed and get up. I yawn as I stretch, then head to the closet to grab my work clothes-the ever-fashionable, always-ugly two-sizes-too-big shirt with the words "Sandy's Diner" written in large letters on it, and jeans. Well, at least it's comfortable. I tie my hair back into a ponytail, pulling a curl out in front and pinning the back into a messy bun, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in the back of my forehead. God, that was one weird dream. Whatever. How my subconsious comes up with this stuff is a mystery.

I run down the stairs, grab my bike and ride as fast as I can to the diner, my legs pumping as hard as they can. I get there with ten minutes to spare, so I decide to sit on the bench outside instead of go in, where Sandy would give me work, even if I am early. Besides, I need to rest. Usually the two mile bike ride wasn't that bad for me, but today I feel really dizzy. I try to shake it off, but it doesn't work too well. So I headed to the bench, hoping to just have a little time to myself.

The only problem was that there was somebody already on the bench. A girl my age is sitting there, looking anxiously as if she is waiting for someone. Oh,well. Maybe, hopefully, she'll just mind her own business. But, alas, things never seem to go the way I want them to. I guess someone out there just doesn't want me to be happy. I zone out for a few minutes, but then am brought back to earth by sobs being choked out by the girl next to me. Wondering what could get her so worked up, and frankly kind of curious, I ask,"Are you all right?" She nods, and wipes the tears off of her face. Knowing from experience, I offer her some advice,"Do you want to talk about it? If you bottle your feelings up inside it only makes things worse."

"Today I saw my sister for the first time since I was nine, but I can't let her know that I'm watching over her." She says, starting to cry again

"Don't cry. It's okay. Sometimes people can feel connected to people, even if they think that they don't know them." I tell her, and she smiles.

"Really?" she asks.

"Yeah. Now, I have to go to work now, but do you want to come in and have a cup of coffee? I want to hear about this sister of yours." I say, and then grab her arm and walk with her into the once nice looking diner, which is now in shambles.

We walk inside and I show her to one of the stools by the counter. "Oh my god, I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Eliza, but you can call me Liz. And you are?"

"Syl." she says, staring at me like the name should mean something.

"I like that name. I've heard it before, I just can't remember where." I say, knowing that it will bug me for the rest of the day.

I make my rounds, waiting on the four other tables as quickly as I can before I come back to Syl. Setting down the pot of coffee in my hands, I walk over to where she is staring into space, most likely thinking about her sister. "So, tell me about your sister. I'm dying to know"

"Well, she's our age, is beautiful, and is so sweet and nice. I just wish I could talk to her, let her know that I'm here."

"So, why not? I mean, you're already here. Would it really cause that much damage?" I ask, curious as to why she can't tell her.

"We ran away from home when we were little. Family problems. They abused us, and one day she got hurt really bad, and someone who had seen how badly they treated us helped her. Took her away from there. To a nice family. She couldn't remember anything from before we escaped, so they fed her a story about being in an accident. Now, if I tell her the truth, I think that it might be too much for her to handle." she explains slowly, her voice sounding cut off, emotionless.

"Oh my god, that's so sad.I'm sorry, really, I am. Maybe she knows that you're there, like some kind of ESP-thing."

"Maybe. She's grown up to be so beautiful, so...perfect. I'm happy that she's had a normal life. She got what we always wanted." Syl says, a lone tear trickling down her cheek. I wipe it off for her. This girl needs some serious cheering up.

"God, you need to get your mind off of everything. Why don't you and I go out tonight?"

"I don't know if I should." she says, looking apprehensive.

"Come on, it'll be fun. Just the girls, hanging out, finding some guys. Use 'em and lose 'em. You know you want to." I say, letting out a grin.

"Sure. But I get dibs on the first hot guy I find." Syl says, letting out a small smile.

"I'm off of work at five, but just come over whenever you want to." I tell her and give her my address. She grabs her purse and gets up to leave, waving before she walks out the door, smiling.

I hurry through my shift, excited that I have finally met a new friend with estrogen. Usually I hang out with guys, which is fun, but sometimes a bit revolting. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love hangin' with the boys, but sometimes I need to be comforted, to talk to someone, and most of the guys aren't real good at that. Whatever. Tonight will be really fun. I can't wait.

After work I throw off my apron and walk outside. The sky is blue and clear, but off to the distance dark clouds are gathering. Great, just my luck that it will probably rain tonight. Oh, well, I can still have fun if it's raining. Hell, I might even have more fun, like the time that me and the guys had that mud fight. That was off the hook.

I grab my bike and race home. I walk in and look around, thinking that maybe Syl will be there already cause I'm late. She isn't, so I walk into my room and try to find a cute outfit that isn't brutally dirty. Scanning under my bed and seeing nothing to wear, I open my closet. Rummaging through the various articles of clothing stuffed into the bottom of it, I finally find a black tank top and, after looking for a few more minutes, a pair of low rider jeans.

I change and walk into the bathroom before I hear a knock at the door. "Come on in," I say, and go to greet Syl.

"Hey, chica. What's shaking?" I say, checking out her outfit. A low cut red top and the same pair of jeans that I am. "We're so hot the boys'll fight over who buys our next beer!" she exclaims, laughing.

"Just let me throw myself together and I'll be ready to go. Make yourself at home." I yell through the bathroom. I hear the tv go on, apparently she had no problem with that one.I untangle the hair tie from my ponytail and brush through my hair, making sure not to frizzify the curls.

I walk out of the bathroom to find Syl sitting on the couch watching a news bulletin from that Eyes Only guy. Probably some bored rich kid who doesn't care if he scares people to death.

"Hey, you ready to go?" she asks without looking behind her. How did she know that I was behind her? "Yeah, let's hit it." I say, and we head to the Underground, the only decent club in my slummy neighborhood. Even though L.A. was one of the cities that wasn't hit by the Pulse too hard, it still left the city in shambles. We're still rebuilding it, and when we're finished it will never live up to the splendor that even early Hollywood had.

We reach the Underground and get to cut to the front of the line, the price being that I have to promise the creepy four hundred pound bouncer that I'll save him a dance. Damn, beauty _is_ hell. Once inside, I grab Syl's arm and drag her straight to the bar. If I have to dance with Mr. Let's-eat-everything-I-see, I'm sure as hell going to need some alcohol.

By the time that I've downed two beers, I've danced with seven guys and have met up with Jack, Alli, Sam and Dawson, the only people in this town that I can stand. Syl seems very happy to meet them. I hope she's having a good time. She needs to catch a break. It sounds like she's had it hard.

Ow, my head is throbbing. God, that music is really loud. "I have to go to the bathroom." I tell the guy I'm dancing with and go straight to the bathroom before promptly throwing up. Oh, I haven't felt this sick since I was nine and got in that accident.

I walk out into the crowd after horking two more times, looking for Syl. I find her at the bar, talking to a rather handsome guy. She notices me before I say anything and immediately casts a worried look in my direction. "Are you all right?" She asks, and I shake my head. She walks over and grabs my arm, the guy she was talking to takes my other arm and together they manuever me quickly out through a back door into an alley. My legs feel like jello.

Once we get outside I throw up twice more, and then my legs give out. I'm so cold. I can't stop shaking. Please, please, let me be all right. Don't let me die. Everything's spinning. I'm lying on the dirt now, convulsing. Yeah, this must look sexy. I hear Syl say that someone's in the bar. She sounds scared. I hear the man's voice giving orders to Syl. He sounds so...uncaring, so cold. Don't think of cold, Liz, think of a nice warm summer day. Or a fire...yeah, warm is good.

Syl runs out of the alley, and I'm alone with a total stranger. Great, leave me for dead in the back of an alley with a complete stranger. No wonder I don't have more friends that are girls. The man walks over to me and lifts me up. It must be hard for him, because at this point I'm violently convulsing. Everything hurts. Please, make the pain stop. I try to stop the tears from coming, but they won't.

The man looks down and wipes a tear off of my cheek with his thumb. I close my eyes. Maybe I won't feel so sick if I can't see the world spinning in front of me. My stomach gives a lurch and I try to vomit, but there's nothing left in my stomach. The man brushes his lips against my forehead and says, "Don't worry, Liza. You'll be fine. I'll take care of you. Lydecker won't come near you as long as I'm around."

Just as I'm about to try to ask who the hell this Lydecker guy is, the darkness finally wins and I'm no longer a part of anything but the dream.

DISCLAIMER: not mine, but a girl can wish, right? Right?

Please review me! I really want to see what you guys thought about it. Even if it's just a simple, 'hey, I read it and it didn't make me vomit.', I'd be totally fine with that. In fact, it might just make my day! So please, review!

Oh, and if you like this, read my other fics, Lucy the Mutant; Naturally Dysfunctional; and Well, This is an Interesting Development. All are M/A, and I hope you like!!

Molly jeane


	2. Gunshot wounds and Nomlies

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Dream Sequence

I look to my left. I'm at the edge of a row of children about seven years old. We're dressed in camo and have guns. We're being given orders by a middle-aged man, who is pacing in front of us. Worry and frown lines crease his face.

"You will shoot any target that comes in our way. Any missed targets will result in severe punishment. Is that clear, soldiers?"

"Yes, sir." came the unanimous answer from his loyal troops. 

We split into groups. I was with Tinga, like always. We were best friends, soul sisters. We walked stealthily through the forest where we played escape and evade, not making a sound.

A target shot out in front of us, making a whooshing sound. I went to shoot at it, aiming my gun. Ben must have heard the noise, and he aimed his gun at the target. Something must have knocked his aim off, because the next thing I knew a bullet flew into my shoulder with a sickening crunch. I fall to the ground from the impact, in more pain than I'd ever been in before. The blood's sticky against my shirt. Ben rushes over to me "I'm sorry." he whispers in a voice full of agony.

I tried to be strong like they taught us, but a scream escaped my lips, then everything blurred together and slowly dimmed to blackness

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"Liz! Liz! Wake up!" I hear someone say, and feel them shaking. I listen, opening my eyes. My body's covered in a cold sweat, my eyes glazed in fear and shock. The dreams have been bad before, but never this real. I can feel where the bullet tore through my shoulder, and actually have to check and see if I was hit.

Syl, who was waking me up, immediately realizes what I'm checking for and says, "He didn't mean to, you know."

What the hell is she talking about? For the first time I wonder where I am. I look around, surveying the room. I'm in a motel bed, wearing somebody else's pajamas. The curtains are drawn, so the sunlight won't get in. I owe whoever did that a big thanks.

"Syl, what the fuck are you talking about?" I ask as politely as I can. She's kind of grating on my nerves right now, what with the whole let's-wake-Liz-up thing and talking crazy. I don't care if she helped me or not. Well, actually I do, but I'm annoyed nonetheless.

"Just a second." She says and walks out of the room. I hear other voices in the next room. Who are they?

"Should I tell her?" I hear Syl's voice say.

"She has to know." I hear another woman's voice say.

"Break it to her gently." I hear a man's voice say. God, I am so confused right now. Maybe I have time to fall asleep before she comes back. I'm willing to try out that theory, and drift off to sleep just as I hear footsteps coming my way. Please, just let me sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Dream Sequence

"Hey, sweetheart! How was your first day at school?" says Mom a bit too cheerfully as she tucks me into my bed.

"It was good, but hard meeting all of those new people. School's really easy. Why did I have to take all of those tests, Mom?"

"Well, sweetie, they wanted to see if your ability to learn was the same as other people in your grade, because the accident might have changed you."

" I know," I say, looking at the right upper part of my body, "I got scars now." Mom laughs.

"No, not like that-forget it. What do you want to hear for a bedtime story?" she asks, changing the subject.

"Tell me my favorite." I say, snuggling in next to her.

"Once upon a time, there was the perfect little girl. She was sweet, and caring, and nice, but she lived in a bad place. She wanted to get away from the bad place, but couldn't do it alone. She needed help. So a nice man helped her get away, to freedom. He gave her to her mother, and they lived happily ever after."

"The evil people stopped looking for them?" I say, half asleep.

"No. They won't ever stop looking. But the little girl and her mother won't let them find her."

"I love you Mommy." I say, already half-asleep. I need to tell her goodnight before I go to sleep, in case a nomlie comes in the night.

"I love you too, honey." she says and kisses my nose.

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As my dream fades away, I hear faint voices in the other room. They're whispering at first, but then get loud enough to hear. I fake sleep, thinking that I might be able to get a clue as to where I am.

Is someone holding my hand? Okay, it better be someone I know, otherwise their ass will be mine. They try to "shshsh!!" the others, but it doesn't work. Where am I? God, I feel like a truck ran over me, and then backed up and did it again. Ugh. How the hell did I get that sick? It's not like I'm usually the kind of person who's prone to illness. In fact, I don't think I've ever even gotten a cold. I stopped shaking, but I'm still so cold, like ice. I hear Syl's voice, sounding scared and worried at the same time, say,"We need to move out. He's on our trail and will be here any minute." 

I try to open my eyes to see what's happening, but the lids are so heavy. God, my body is so fucked up. I stop shaking, but then start it again, this time because of the cold. It's freezing in here, where the hell are we, Siberia? I feel myself being tucked inside a blanket. Ahh...warmth. I am eternally grateful to whoever did that. The shaking lets up a little, but not much. Now, who were they talking about?

I hear sounds of hundreds of feet coming to the door. "They're here." I hear a somber voice say. Who's here? I hear the door burst open and my ears are bombarded with the sound of gunfire. Strong arms are lifting me, carrying me to safety. I try to scream as I fall, but I immediately feel the soft cush of grass underneath me. We're moving fast, the sound of gunfire fading away. 

I hear the door of a car open before I start seizing again. Great... I'm so fucking tired of being deathly sick. Will I ever get better? The car door shuts."Guys, I need tryptophan. Now. She's seizing again." Uggh... 

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A/N: hey guys! I'm sorry if this chappie's short, but I haven't had that much time. Your reviews inspired me so much...I'm so glad that I didn't make you hork!!! please keep reading, and review, too!!!!

Live fast. Cheer hard. Die laughing.

Molly Jeane :D


	3. Q & A

I don't know how long it is before I wake up again. I can finally open my eyes, so I try to take in as much as I can. What is wrong with me all of a sudden? Willing my every muscle just to let me open my eyes, my body finally listens. I scan my surroundings, hoping to get some idea as to who has saved me. 

I'm in a truck with ...1, 2, 3, 4, people in the seats around me. Oh my god, am I laying on someone? This moment is slowly rising on my list of most embarrassing moments. My head is resting on someone's chest, and I can hear the faint flutter of their heartbeat. Calloused fingers are playing with my curly hair, and I feel oddly at peace, like nothing can get to me. I want to lay like this forever, but my curiousity wins, and I lift my head slowly to look into the face of my rescuer.

It's the guy from the bar. He's looking out the window. Hey, he's kinda cute. Get your mind out of the gutter, Liz, where have you seen him before? He feels my gaze on him and looks down. A grin appears on his face and he playfully says,"Hey, Sleeping Beauty's finally awoken." All the passengers crammed in the SUV are now staring at me. This guy may have saved my life and all, but nobody talks to me like that and gets away with it.

"Yeah, and her knight in shining armor's being an ass." I say drowsily, trying to shake the headache out of my head. Not working. In fact, it might just be a little worse now. Well, I learned a lesson-don't try out your supposedly smart theories until you are at least pretty sure it won't do damage. I need some Tylenol. Bad.

Grins break out on the faces of my fellow passengers, but whether it's from the comments or the expression on my face when I shook my head, I really don't know. Syl, who I just noticed is sitting next to me, gives me a hug. "Thank you. For everything." I whisper so that only she can hear, truly grateful that she helped me so much. Then, sitting up slightly, I ask the question that's been on my mind since I woke up, "So, not to be rude or anything, but who are you people and where the hell are we?"

The guy who I'm sitting on smiles, and is the first one to speak up."Well, I'm Ben, but you met me at the bar. You know Syl, that's Krit sitting next to her, Jondy's the one squished by the window, and Zane and Brin in the front seats." He says, pointing out each person as he calls their names. "And we are in the middle of nowhere, on our way to see our loving CO." Syl gives him a dirty look.

"What? If she wants the truth, I'll tell her." It's really getting annoying that no one will tell me what's happening.

"Can somebody fill me in on what's happening, please? I heard you all fighting in the hotel rom, and if somebody doesn't tell me what's up in the next two minutes, I'll either go crazy or throw myself out the window!" I say, my frustration finally getting to me. Syl looks at me, tears in her eyes.

"Eliza, do you ever have any strange dreams? Besides the one back at the hotel?"

"Yeah, but who doesn't? What's that got to do with anything?" I say, looking around. Can't they just get to the point already. I don't have that much patience right now, and I'd appreciate it if I was just told what the hell is going on.

"Well, don't our names sound familiar?" she says, looking at me like they should.

"Yeah, but you have common names. I've heard them before."

"Hon, we've got weird names, and where have you heard them before."

"Well, I've heard them"I say, thinking, "in my dreams."

"Those aren't just dreams, Liz, they're flashbacks. Of us. Your subconsious didn't invent us. You were in our unit until you were accidentally shot. We were told that you had died, but in reality one of the doctors hid the fact that you were alive from Manticore and got you put of there. He handed you off to his sister just before he was killed. You were told that you had an accident and couldn't remember, and wanting to forget, you believed that it was all a dream during a coma. Your mother made sure that you were as normal as you could be, so she made you go to the "physical therapist"."

"Yeah, what about it?" I say, shocked

"He kept on removing your barcode, and"

"I don't have a barcode." I say, cutting her off.

"Well, just barely." says Ben, grabbing two mirrors that Syl hands him from her purse. He pulls my hair over my shoulder and positions the mirrors so that I can see the faint traces of black on the base of my neck. Oh, my god. I've been lied to my entire life.

"We heal over time, Liz.You didn't need to go to him. Every time you went there he lasered off your barcode. And the pills he gave you? Tryptophan, to control your seizures."

"Oh my god." I say, not believing it.

"Sorry to lay all of this on you, but you wanted the truth." says Syl apolegetically.

"Yeah, and I'm glad I'm finally being told the truth. I do have a question, though. How'd you get out?"

"One of the nurses told us about you, She was nice, helped us, gave us extra food and medical supplies when we were hurt. Once we found out that you could make it out, we needed to get out and find you. To take care of you. You were te youngest, and we sure as hell weren't going to let you be in danger for long. We had other things to worry about, though. Lydecker had gotten harsher in his punishment as we got older. We were trained to the point of exhaustion. Then the seizures started. In the other barracks, a girl our age got them. They executed her, and all the others who had them. We didn't find out until it was too late." Syl says in a voice full of hurt. Her voice breaks, as does her composure. Krit puts his arms around her and kisses her forehead. She calms down a bit, but not much.

I'm crying, too, now at the story, and the thought of one of our unit being taken away. I want to know who it was, but I don't want them to have to relive it. Jondy finishes the story, as Syl is crying, and doesn't want to finish.

"After he was taken away, we were careful to hide even the tiniest tremor. One night, Max started seizing violently, and we knew that we had to escape. It was the only way" she says, her voice full of tears. 

"How'd the doctor get me out? I mean, I'm taking a wild guess in saying that Lydecker didn't hand me over peacefully to him." 

"Uh, you know that dream you had in the hotel? The one where you woke up screaming?" Brin says, turning around.

"Yeah, what about it?" I say, trying to hide the shivers that go up my spine at the mere thought of the dream. Apparantly I don't do a very good job, because Ben whispers,"Don't worry, Liz. I'll make sure you're never hurt like that again." into my ear so that only I can hear it. I relax a bit, settling myself back into my arms.

"Well, that did happen. You were shot, and that's how the doctor got you out, by saying that you were dead. It was a good plan, but Deck still found out, and has been searching for you ever since. Fortunately, we tracked you down after the escape and have been able to keep an eye on you ever since." Wow, that's so, so....so much of a privacy issue that I want to cry.

"I've been spied on for my entire life?" I say, apalled. 

"Hon, what would you have done if Deck and his G.I. Joes came by and you thought you were a norm?" Ben asks softly. 

"Thank you." I whisper, trying to rid my mind of the image that had flashed before my eyes.

An ackward silence falls upon us, and it takes a couple minutes to sm up the courage to ask the question that's been on my mind for a while. "Um, guys?" I say, trying to figure out the best way to word the questions without me sounding stupid. 

They all look at me, worry in their eyes, I think that they think I'm sick again. "I have two questions. One: How did Deck never find me, and Two: What were you going to say when I cut you off, before. About the doctor?" They all exchange glances, and I know they've been hiding something from me. "What?" I ask after about a minute of silence. Jondy speaks softly. 

"Well, the doctor your mother found for you is ex-Manticore, so of course he knows how to deal with your seizures and heat cycles and stuff. But he also knows how much we're worth, so he made a call to Deck. Before the G.I's came for you, he injected you with a virus Manticore sent him. We don't know how serious it is, though. That's why we've been so protective of you. We don't want you to get sicker."

"So, wait..am I dying?" I ask. I'm in shock, oh, God, please, please no. I don't want to die.

"We don't know. We think that Deck wanted you weak before he got you, but we don't know you long you'll be sick or how sick you'll get."

"You didn't answer my question. Am I dying? I know you know." 

"You might be. But we don't think Manticore would want you dead. You're too important, too valuable. We don't know much about this, but we'll try to hack in to the database and see what we can find." What? That isn't true. I'm dreaming, that's what this is...one fucked up nightmare. Oh my god. I might die. I can't die. I've just met my family. I start hyperventilating. I can't breathe. Oh, god. 

"Liz, just lay down, It's ok. You'll be fine." Ben whispers in my ear encouragingly.. I do as told, still unable to catch my breath. Holy shit, I might me dying...I can't die... I'm too young to die...I can't think straight...Deep breaths, Liz, deeps breaths. I close my eyes, shutting out the world...I'm safe, I'm getting better...please, God, let my be getting better...I can't die, I've just met my family.

I've never felt as safe as I do with Ben's arms wrapped around me, protecting me...he won't let me slip into the darkness...won't let me fall...

My guardian angel.

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A/N: Hope this clears up any confusion there might have been! Thank you to all of my reviewers...you brighten up my slush-filled days. Please keep reviewing and tell me what you think.

THANK YOU AGAIN TO MY REVIEWERS! I LUV YOU ALL (IN A PLATONIC WAY!!! :) )

molly jeane :D


	4. guilt and regret

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She's sleeping again. That's good, she needs rest. It's been good seeing her, even if she is sick. I can comfort her, or at least I hope that I can. At the way, way least, I need to keep her safe, over anything. I promised her that I would protect her, and though we may have been four at the time, I will always keep that promise. Always.

I used to feel so guilty about the accident. Hell, I still do. It's my fault that she never got to be with her family, my fault that she has this stupid virus. I tore her away from the only family that she really has, made her go through it alone. Even if I didn't mean to, how could I hurt someone so...well, perfect? God, she's so perfect, so beautiful. I just can't stop blaming myself for everything that's gone wrong for her.

At least she lived a normal life. Well, as normal as life can be in this screwed up, post-Pulse world. I watched over her, trying to guard her from everything that I could, but I never even introduced myself. She had to try and fit in with the norms, never feeling like she belonged but also never knowing why.

She's been through so much in the past week. If that happened to me, I think I would have gone crazy. I feel her moving around, interrupting my thoughts. I look down and see that she's awake. She has tears in her eyes, but she tries to hide it and smiles weakly at me. I smile back. My perfect little soldier...

I've missed you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I lay in his arms, not wanting to move. I'm peaceful now, having come to the conclusion that if I die, at least I'll have known the truth. Not that I'm planning on dying, however...I plan to throw everything that I have left in me at this virus bitch. I just hope it's enough. Ok, who am I fooling? I have definitely not achieved inner peace, hell, I'm not even just happy knowing that I finally know the truth. I want to live out my life, get married, have kids(ok, maybe not so much-sounds painful), die old. But now there's a chance that I won't be able to do any of that. God, why has my life suddenly snowballed? 

I look out the window. We're in a small town, and pull over to a diner not unlike Sandy's. My whole life's just...gone. My friends, family, the whole world that I grew up in, belonged in, is now just a distant memory. I look down and study my hands, trying to inconspicuously blink back the tears. I feel a rough, calloused finger brushing away a tear that's managed to slide down my cheek. "Are you ok?" he whispers softly, the worry he's trying to hide obvious. I nod.

The others have already gone into the diner. Ben opens the door and slides out, being careful not to move me. Okay, that is it, I'm tired of not being told anything, and being totally clueless and treated like a baby! I'm not letting anyone carry me or treat me like a baby anymore. It's humiliating! 

Ben leans in to lift me out of the truck, but I shake my head. "No. I can do it." I say, and slowly climb out of the car. Ben grabs my waist as I climb out, gently setting me on the ground. It's hard when you have people constantly checking how you are. I mean, it's nice and all, but after a while, it gets old. Real old. I think positively, willing my legs to work right. Ben drops his hand as soon as I'm steady, but hovers close by. I take slow, wobbly steps, but at least I'm doing it. Ben puts his arm around my waist again, but I don't mind because I don't know if my legs can hold that much. As if in response to that thought, a sudden wave of nausea hits, and the pavement comes up to meet my face. I close my eyes and brace myself for the fall, but strong arms encircle my waist and stop me from falling to the ground. I look up at Ben gratefully, "Thanks."

"That's it." Ben says authoritatively, "You aren't walking in." Before I can find the words to stop him, he scoops me into his arms.

"You know, we're going to attract a lot of attention if you carry me in. I'd rather walk, you know." I say, knowing that Ben's bossiness will win.

"Not anymore than our stunning good looks, and yes, I know you'd rather walk, but don't you just love being by me?" he says. I roll my eyes.

"God,you are so conceited! Why can't I just try walking? Please?" I ask, giving him my patented puppy-dog-I'm-gonna-cry face.

"Because we're already at the door." he says, a triumphant smirk on his face.

"Fine, but on the way out I'm so walking, whether you like it or not." I say. 

We, well, he walks into the diner, carrying me in his arms. My siblings spot us walk in and wave us over to the corner booth. Ben carries me over and we sit down. He's so careful with me, like I'm gonna break.

"Hey guys. What took you so long?" Brin asks, handing us a menu to look over. I grab it and open it up.

"I wanted to walk in, but Mr. Over-Protective here didn't think that I was strong enough to." I say before Ben has a chance to respond.

"You almost fell on your face!" he exclaims, taking the menu away from me. Okay, he's about to learn that if you take away Liz's choice of food, you lose.

"Yeah, and I would have caught myself if you hadn't first. I could've done it, you know. You didn't have to carry me." I respond while trying to sneak the menu away from him. I grab the edge, but this time he doesn't let go. I look up at him, just to see him grinning like the Chesire Cat. Apparently he likes having someone to banter with. My siblings watch the scene before them play out, with Jondy and Syl making bets on who'll win. But we don't notice them, being too caught up in the game.

"You know you like it when I hold you." he says, a cocky grin plastered on his features. Again with the innuendo!!

"Oh yes, Ben." I say sarcastically, "I want you. I need you. Take me now, please, oh baby, oh baby." His jaw drops, and muffled laughter can be heard from the rest of the table. I take the moment of shock to grab the menu away from him, and start scanning for some food. Mmm...chicken soup. Nothing else sounds good right about now. Well, maybe water.

I'm pulled away from the thought of food by a girl squealing excitedly. Okay, not the best thing to do in front of a girl with a migrane so bad that her head feels like it's about to explode. I look in the direction that the girly squeals are coming from and see a familiar face. Do I know her? Then it hits.

"Tinga? Girl, how've you been? It's been like forever!" Syl says, grinning as wide as she can, hugging Tinga.

"Good, good. Lying low. I'be got a new boyfriend, Charlie. And it's Penny now." she corrects, "What brings you here?"

"Well, we're showing off the newest addition to our family." says Krit, acting like a proud father. Tinga looks around the table, scanning for new faces. She stops on me, her eyes going wide and the smile on her face threatening to crack her face in half.

"Oh, my god! Liz? How'd you...what? I thought you were still pretending to be ordinary!" she exclaims, apparently still shocked that I'm there. I guess no one told her that I pulled a 180- from being a normal, ordinary waitress to a genetically engineered, revved-up teenage girl.

"First things first-I wasn't pretending to be normal. I thought I was. And to explain the whole 'me being here' thing, Lydecker gave me some virus and is now trying to track me down. I don't even know what else is going on, because they don't tell me." I give a look around the table, hoping they tell me what's up. Probably not. I'm treated as the baby, something I'm really not liking much, to be honest. "I'm not a baby, you know." I manage to say before Tinga pulls me out of the booth and hugs me, squeezing me so tight that I can't breathe and my internal organs threaten to implode.

"I've missed you so much, baby sister." she says, pulling away. Her eyes are full of tears, and I know that mine are, too. "How are you?" she asks, her voice full of concern.

"Well, physically, I think I'm getting better, but this has been a lot to handle." I say. I slowly make my way back to the booth and lower myself back in. I look at Ben defiantly. "See? I could've done it." 

"So," says Tinga, all professional-like, "Are you guys all ready to order?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: hey guys! A HUGE shoutout to all of my loverly reviewers! Don't worry, if you're angry about my lack in the updating-department... after this weekend, no more play practice for me!!!! wish me luck, guys!

Live fast.

Cheer hard.

Die laughing.

Molly Jeane :D


	5. Lies, Lydecker, and Chicken Noodle Soup

We go around the table, coming to me last. "I'll have chicken soup and an order of toast." I say, my stomach queasy after hearing all of the grease that my fellow diners are going to consume. Ick.

While we wait for our food, the others start talking about bad past romances, but I zone out. My mother lied to me up until the very moment she died. My uncle died for me, but I guess I'm not really related to them. And now Lydecker's on our trail, all because of me. The others would be perfectly safe if it weren't for me. I've caused so much pain. For everyone. Maybe it would be better if I didn't exist. Maybe I should just let the virus win. Then at least I'd know that they'd be safe. Maybe it would be for the greater good.

"Liz, you all right?" Ben asks, going, once again, into over-protection major mode.

"I'm fine." I say, trying to manage a smile, but not really feeling like it. I put on my fake smile, the one that everyone always believes, and nod.

"Good." He gives me one of those 'I know you're not really fine, but we can talk later' looks. How can he already know me so well?

"Hey, guys" I ask, summing up the courage to ask a question I've been wanting to ask for a while. "How are we going to get Lydecker off of our trail?" They look at each other, exchanging meaningful looks. "What is it?" I ask, knowing I'll dread having asked this.

"We need to split up. Manticore won't be able to find us if we split into groups of two." says Zane. "Brin and I are together, you and Ben, Syl and Krit, and Tinga's going to Canada solo." he tells me, and I can just sit there in shock. 

No, this can't be happening. I've just begun to get reacquainted with my faily. They can't just go away now. Tears well up in my eyes, as much as I try to push them away. Ben puts his arm around my shoulder, and as much as I want to be pissed at him and make some smartass remark, being around him comforts me. Not that I'd ever tell anyone. "Then what?" I ask, needing to know if we'll be together soon.

"Well, we'll be calling each other all week, and we'll all take different paths to Seattle. Then, we'll meet Zack on different days." Brin says, taking over Zane's job. She points at us, "You two will be going last. This is going to be quite a shock, and we want to prepare him." 

I nod. Maybe it won't be that bad. It's only one week. What can happen in a week, anyway? Besides, I know that Ben'll take care of me. He always will.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ben's PoV

I can tell she's scared. Of splitting up, I mean. I don't blame her. She's been ripped from her whole world, found out that she may have a fatal virus injected in her system, and is now splitting up from the only family she's got. 

She hides it well, though. The pain, that is. No breakdowns or anything. Just a lone tear every once in a while. But here eyes are so lonely, and sad. They remind me so much of that day, the day that the accident happened. The day that I ripped her away from us.

I'm glad that it's me who's taking her. I feel more comfortable with us splitting up if I know that I am the one taking care of her. I think she's getting a little better. She was in and out of consciousness all last week, but now she just looks tired. And she wants to walk, too. Not that I'll let her, but her determination is good. 

I'll keep her safe. She won't be in danger.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N : hey guys!! Sorry about the shortness and lack of updates- I have major writer's block on this one, and I'm trying to write a new X-men fic too...just made my first update yesterday!

Thanks to you all for reviewing...keep doing so, PLEASE!! I'm a review addict....come on, give a poor girl her fix....*starts shaking from lack of reviews*

Jamie's Spawn- Aw...you rock, too!! I'm glad you like Tinga being in this story...but she may just be a recurring character. Keep reading, and I'll be sure to add some more Ting next chappie for you!

Wendy- Thank you for reviewing!!! I'm glad I'm keeping y'all curious...I have some major twists in this plotline, girl!

Zombiegurl- Yeesh!! You make me feel so guilty for not updating sooner...my sincerest apologies. Thanx for reading, doll!

2nd A/N: Don't you want your name emblazoned in my A/N? All you have to do is click the little purple button at the bottom of the screen and say anything you want. Well, unless it's clowns...we still don't like them...*shudders* 

thanks for being so supportive, guys!!! you are the best fans there are- ever!!!!

Molly Jeane :D


	6. Sing to me?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Liz's PoV

"Liz, the car's ready." I hear a voice say from behind me. 

"Let's go." I say, and a tear rolls down my cheek as I hug my sister goodbye, not knowing if I'll ever see her again.

"Deck's gonna catch up with you, and it'll be all my fault." Ben tells her, grabbing her hand. She shakes her head sternly.

"No, he won't. Me and Charlie are going to Canada. I've informed him of our little secret, and after discussing it, he's fine. He still loves me, for who I am." she tells him, her eyes glistening in tears. "I can't leave him. I love him." she says, "You can understand that, can't you?" she asks, and Ben nods.

"Be safe. We'll come visit you come time." Ben tells her, and Tinga nods. ~WE?~ He gives Tionga a quick hug and opens the door for me.

"M'lady?" he says, bowing.

"Why thank you, good sir." I reply, stifling a giggle as he helps me into the car. He shuts the door and I put on my seatbelt and roll down the window.

"Bye Tinga. I'll miss you. Visit if you can, and keep in touch, 'kay, sis?"I tell her, trying not to cry.

"I will, hon. Hey, I got a surprise for you, but you can't read it until you're out of the town. Okay?" she says, handing me a small package.

"Thank you." I tell her, and with one final wave, I hit the road with Ben. I start opening the package as soon as Tinga's out of sight, but Ben spots me and in mock-annoyance, says, "Eliza, why can't you just have at least a little patience?"

"Cuase it's no fun that way, silly." I say with a know-it-all smirk. Doing my best puppydog eyes, I plead, "Pretty please, can I open it?" He's caving, I know it. 3, 2, 1...

"Fine, just don't look at me like that." he says, and I grin, tearing the package open to find an envelope and a smaller package. I rip open the envelope and read the letter enclosed...

Dear Liz,

It's hard to believe that you're back with us. I had almost given up hope. You are so beautiful, baby sister, and I've missed you. After you were taken away, I had hope. For you, I had the hope that you'd get to be a normal girl-for a while, anyway. And you did. I'm grateful you got what you deserved- no Manticore, no military, just being an abnormally gifted girl.

But you also gave me hope for me and the others, that we could get out and find you. I'm so glad we did. 

Don't worry about the virus- it's wear off in a while. I think you're past the worst of it. I know if someone, anyone, tries to hurt you, Ben will do everything that he can to keep you safe. He loves you, girl, and not the brotherly-sisterly love. I see the looks you two give each other- you can't tell me that you don't. But if you don't, forget that it was mentioned. But if you do feel something, make a move on it. Just look how happy Syl and Krit are, and Zane and Brin.

Be strong, little sister. Every shooting star I see, will have the wish that you're ok, and happy.

I love you, 

Tinga A.K.A. Penny

I open the little package and find a small charm bracelet, and another note.

Liz-

I've been wearing this bracelet for 5 years now, but I think you should have it. Each of the charms symbolize something. The cat, because we're different, and to remind you of your past-never forget it. The world, because we will never fit in, but that's all right. We have each other. The heart-love, we all need it, want it. Take it when you have the chance. The star- make a wish on a star, and it might come true. The safety pin, to remind you of me, that you oughta be careful or you'll make me worry too much!

Love, 

Tinga A.K.A.

I take out the charm bracelet and fasten it around my wrist, examining it. I lay my head against the headrest and settle down for some much-needed rest. Ben takes a blanket from the backseat and puts it over me. Mmm...warmth. "Night." I whisper, even though it's only 2 in the afternoon.

"Night." he whispers, turning the radio on softly.

And that's when I know that I'll never feel as safe as I do with him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ben's PoV

She's sleeping again. That virus really wears her out. I pray with all my heart that the Blue Lady will make her better, even though now I know that she isn't real. Old habits die hard, I guess.

I've been driving for about seven hours now, and she's been sleeping the entire time. I'm tired now (transgenics need sleep, too! Well, occasionally), so I pull over by a small Bed and Breakfast. Hmmm, I thought those had died out after the Pulse. Whatever. I get out, trying not to wake Liz.

I know I'm treating her like a baby, but I just can't let her get hurt again. I can't bear to lose her again. I walk in and ask the middle-aged, very smiley woman at the desk if they have a room open. She smiles even more, if that's possible, "Yes, honey, we have one left. There's the key, and it'll be $50."

I hand her the money, slipping her an extra ten. "Is there any way you don't have to record our being here?" I ask and she nods, solemn for a moment, then perks up after hearing the word 'us'.

"Who's with you?" she asks, grinning from ear to ear. 

"Oh, my girlfriend, Liz. Oh, I'm Ben, by the way." I say. It's amazing how good it feel to call her that. "I'll be right back in with her." I call as I walk out. I open the passenger door and find her still sleeping. She looks like an angel. ~My angel.~

"Liz, Liz...wake up. You can sleep when we get inside." I tell her, shaking her right shoulder. Her eyes flutter open.

"Yeah?" she asks, still mostly asleep.

"I got us a room, so we can rest for a while." I tell her, helping her out of the car. I wrap my arm around her, and she smiles up at me.

"So, I guess you didn't et much shark DNA in your genetic cocktail." she says, smiling, as we walk in.

"I don't need that much sleep, but the past week I've been too worried about a certain someone to sleep." I grin. She smiles for a moment, but then it fades, and I realize my slipup. 

"I was out for almost a week?" she asks incredulously. Okay, guess she knows how serious this virus thing is.

"You woke up occasionally, but you were delirious." I say, steering her to our room, key in hand. I open the door and walk in, not letting my arm slip away from her waist. We walk to the bed and sit down. "I'll go get our bags." I say, smirking at the pout that immediately springs to her face.

"I don't have any clothes here, Ben." she says. I packed a bag from her house, so she's set.

"I got you some clothes from your house for you." I tell her, and the smile I got in return for that more than makes up for the fact that I had to hide the bag from everyone all week. If they would've known that I went back to Liz's house, where Deck was heading to, I'd be dead right now.

I start walking out to the truck, but the smiley lady, who informs me that her name is Patty, stops me. "Hi, Ben! How do you and your girlfriend like the room?" she asks. How can she smile that big without her face cracking?

"We like it a lot, thanks." I say and smile at her question. My girlfriend. No, she's your sibling, after all! But not your actual sibling, a voice in my head says calmly. I try to push the thought to the back of my mind.

I run out to the truck, grabbing the bags from the back of it, and walk back inside. I open the room to find her lying on the bed, singing an old pre-Pulse pop song as she drifts to sleep. 

Run, running all the time...

Running to the future, with you right by my side.

Me, I'm the one you chose, out of all the people,

you wanted me the most...

And I'm so sorry that I've fallen

help me up, let's keep on running,

don't make me want to give up...

She sighs on the last word, succumbing to a deep and dreamless sleep as Ben watches her. She looks peaceful in sleep, safe. ~She trusts me enough to let her guard down.~ he thinks, a small smile forming on his face at the thought. 

He heads to the bathroom and starts running a bath for her, checking up on her only every ten or so seconds, to make sure she's safe.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: So, what'd ya think? It sucked? Gave you barfy feelings? Liked it? Tell me, no matter what! I love my feedback!! Yes, I do! 

DISCLAIMER: not mine, yadda yadda,...No Doubt song 'Running'

I luv you all so much!!! happy Easter or whatever holiday you celebrate, y'all!!!!

Molly Jeane :D


	7. funny how the ground never swallows ya w...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Liz's PoV

"Liz, wake up...Liz, there's a nice, warm, bath waiting for you." Ben says, and I opens one eye sleepily. I smile, yawning.

"Are you lying to me?" I ask, giving him a mock-stern look. He brings his hand to over his heart, rubbing it.

"Oh, Liz, my dear, you wound me." he tells me, smirking that famous smirk. "Of course I'm not lying. Why would I derive pleasure from lying to a woman as lovely as you?"

"Because you're a man." I deadpan, and then let out a grin. "It's a known fact that your sex likes to lie to the fairer sex- i.e. women." I inform him, and his eyebrows raise up, giving me a nice view of those gorgeous green eyes.

"I am appalled! And to think, I spent over a half an hour making your bath perfect for you!" he huffs, folding his arms across his chest and leaning against the doorframe, trying not to smile. 

"Aw, poor baby! Are you mad at me?" I ask him, doing my best puppydog pout. I stand up a bit wobbily, and he's immediately there, his arms around me, keeping me safe. 

"Never." he tells me, and through his grin I see the truth in that statement. I lean against his chest.

"I know. I'm too cute to get mad at." I tell him, and he nods. "Well, if you excuse me, I'm going to go take a bath." I tell him, and he walks me to the bathroom. I kiss him quickly, on the cheek, telling him, "You're such a gentleman." just as I close the door. Smiling inwardly as I turn the lock.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ben's PoV

She takes everything so well. I mean, she's just abandoned everything she's ever known, and yet she's so happy.

I meant what I said, about making her better. I'd do anything in my power just to make her smile.

I turn the tv on, but don't really watch it. After a while I pick up a book and read it, feeling like I've been living the storyline...

God, Shakespeare was deep. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`Liz's PoV

I stay in the bathtub for a while, enjoying the warmth on my cool skin, reviewing my hate for Manticore and my not-so-hate for Ben. After the water gets cold, I shakily stand up, cursing my legs that won't work. I pull on my favorite cherry-covered pajamas that Ben so sweetly laid out beside the tub, and turn the doorknob soundlessly. Ben's deep asleep on the bed, a book on his chest. 

I make my way to the bed and look at the cover. Hmmm...Romeo and Juliet; I never took Ben to be a hopeless romantic. Suddenly I'm tired- really, truly, fall asleep standing up kinda tired. I lay down on the bed, pulling up the covers and sliding between them.

It bugs me how much I care that I'm in bed with him. He's my brother, for god's sake. But even though I'm bothered by it, I love how comfortable I am when I'm close to him. How much I can let my guard down.

I roll into him, grateful for the warmth. "Goodnight, Ben." I whisper, snuggling into his chest as his arms wrap around me in his sleep.

"Love you, Liz." he murmurs, kissing my forehead. I smile, hoping that he wasn't meaning brother-sister love, and sink into a dream.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Dream Sequence

A line of children, tethered to the bottom of a ten foot deep pool- The Tank. Words that strike fear into the hearts of soldier-children, and a sight to bring humanitarians to their knees. 

Liz looks around her. Ben gives her an encouraging wink. She tries to smile back, but her cheeks are so full of stored air that she can't. Then Tally starts flailing against the restraints, her face colored with fear and panic. Lydecker watches from above, his face not betraying the guilt at letting one of his kids die. But he has to. To teach them a lesson.

One none of them will soon forget. The restraints come undone, and Tally's lifeless body floats to the surface, and along with it their dreams of their whole family escaping. They know now that they are expendable...they don't matter...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Liz's PoV

I gasp, sitting straight upright as air whooshes into my lungs. Ben sits up immediately, pulling me close to him as I try to block out the painful memories. "Nightmare?" he murmurs against my shoulder, and I nod, settling into him. "It's okay now. I got you." he whispers, kissing my shoulder.

"I know you do, Ben," I tell him, glad for his strong arms keeping the bad things away. "I trust you with my life, you know that?" I ask him, turning so I can see his face. He smiles a little.

"I had guessed, speculated even.." he says, trailing off. I frown, and he smirks, causing my spirits to rise again. "I had hoped. A lot." he tells me and I smile.

"You're a jerk, you know that?" I tell him, semi-mad that he made me make a fool of myself.

"Yeah, but you love me anyways." he says, and I stare into those beautiful green eyes and say the first thing that comes to mind.

Which, unfortunately, is, "yeah, I do." I freeze instantly, realizing my mistake. Ben tenses behind me, and I close my eyes, wanting more than anything to have the ground open up and me to fall in, or a giant bird to swoop down and carry me away. Anything to take away from the almost painful embarrassment.

"Are you serious?" Ben asks, his voice soft, not a hint of mocking in it. I nod, then avert my eyes.

"It's funny how the ground never swallows you whole when you want it to." I mumble, and his finger lifts my chin, bringing my gaze to his once again.

"I feel the same way, Liz." he tells me, his emerald eyes full of truth. I smile, letting the breath I didn't know I was holding out in a happy sigh. He leans in, kissing me softly on the lips. 

"I'm so glad you found me." I whisper, not knowing why I feel the need to. I snuggle into him and he pulls the blanket over us.

"Me too, Liz. Me too." he says, pulling me close. I close the distance between us with a kiss, unable to stay away from the warmth and safety that his touch gives me.

Okay, so maybe splitting up isn't _that_ bad of an idea. It's only a week, right? A week all to ourselves...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

A/N: So, you like? Sorry if y'all wanted me to write more detailed, but what can I say? I don't really know how to write it. Hope I did a good job-tell me if I didn't. Please ReViEw!!!!! I'd love ya forever and ever, not that I don't already...you know what I mean!!! 

Drop me a line!!!!!! oh, I've updated some other stories, if y'all are interested in them, too.

by the way, I am totally outraged by that new Lay's commercial, the Wisconsin Cheddar chip one- we so do not talk like that!!!!! argh!!! please, my fellow cheeseheads, give me some support to get through this hard time. Every time I see it I wanna cry!!!! *sniffs*

luv ya!!

Molly Jeane :D


	8. I just want to kiss you forever

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ben's PoV

I wake up to the sound of silence, broken only by the sound of Liz and my breathing. The clock says 9:13, but I really don't pay much mind. I'm too comfortable to ever move, ever again. The sunlight is blocked by the curtains, but a chunk of it somehow misses the horribly-ugly, flower-print cloth and lands on the middle of a pile of strewn clothes. 

I turn my gaze to Liz, who's head rests on my shoulder. She looks so peaceful in sleep, all the worry and confusion of the past few days is meaningless in sleep. I just wish I could save her from the nightmares... Hell, I wish I could save all of us from the nightmares, from Manticore, from the world. But it's too hard of a job.

Zack seems to think that he can do it. Save all of us from everything we come up against, that is. He wants to be all superhero and save the world. But that isn't going to happen, for various reasons. Not the least of which is the fact that the entire world, if they ever find out about us, will be out to get us. Not a pretty thought.

I feel Liz shifting and look down at her. Her chocolate eyes stare back at me, sleep-doused, but playful at the same time. She licks her lips, a nervous habit I've noticed...it's extremely hot. "I want pancakes." she announces, and I sigh.

"I'm too comfortable." I tell her, really not wanting to get up. But then she does that pout of hers, that sexy, adorable pout that makes me want to do anything to make her smile. I groan, dragging myself out of bed. She gets up and wraps the sheet around her, toga-style. 

"You gonna take a shower?" she asks, and I nod, heading to the bathroom as she does that nervous little lip-lick thing again. Mmm....ok, better make that a cold shower.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Liz's PoV

It's almost surreal how I can be so scared or mad, but with one touch from him, the rest of the world just goes away. It just doesn't matter anymore. He protects me...he's my guardian angel. And I think I'm falling- hard.

I change into jeans and a tank top, and brush my hair. I part it to the side, bobby-pinning a little back to keep it out of my face. Hmm..maybe I should get a haircut. Less work, and it might look ok....definitely something to think about. 

I lay back down on the bed, a need to sleep suddenly overwhelming me. I close my eyes, trying to rid my shoulders of all the tension that lies there. He comes out of the bathroom in just a towel, and where all the air in my lungs goes is an unsolved mystery. Just the sight of him leaves me breathless. Talk about head-over-heels, right?

I turn around as he changes, trying to find a sweater, and pull out a pink one. I pull it over my head and close my eyes, rubbing my temples at the hint that a headache's coming on. I feel his strong hands on my shoulders, but somehow he manages not to startle me. I lean into his touch as he kneads out the knots in my shoulders. "Mmm...thanks." I tells him, though he will never know how very true that statement is.

"I'm gonna go run the bags out to the car." he tells me, and I pout at the loss of my masseuse. "Oh, I'll be right back." he says, smirking. He walks out of the room, and I lay down on the bed, suddenly completely tired. Funny, I never got any sleep before I got sick. Now I just can't get enough of the stuff.

Mmm....sleep...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ben's PoV

I hurry to get the bags in the car, my stomach already growling. Damn transgenic metabolism. I walk back to the room, giving a wave to Ms. Smiley as she prances while she dusts the lobby. I open the door, only to reveal Liz lying on the bed, half asleep.

I brush a stray piece of hair away from her eyes, smiling slightly as she leans into my touch. "I thought you wanted pancakes." I ask, and she nods lazily, opening one eye.

"I still do. And as long as I don't have to move in order to get them, then I am perfectly happy." she informs me, smiling slightly.

"Babe, I'm hungry." I whine, hoping to annoy her out of bed. She nods. "Me too. Maybe if someone would give me a piggyback ride, I wouldn't feel so sad about having to get up." she tells me, her eyes sparkling with playfulness. I roll my eyes, but turn around as she leaps on my back.

"You know," I says as we walk to the car, "if It wasn't for my handy-dandy transgenic reflexes, we'd be in a heap on the floor right now." She laughs, a light, happy sound that I've missed so much.

"Yeah, I actually had thought about that. But I'd be having fun either way, so I took my chances." she says, giggling a bit. My mouth hangs open, but I quickly pull it into a smirk.

"Dirty." I tease, letting her off my back as we reach the car. She kisses me on the cheek and moves to get in, but I grab her wrist and pull her in for a real kiss. "That was my treat for carrying you all the way out here." I explain. Yeah, like it was really that hard. She weighs about ninety pounds.

"Hmmm...I might just have to have you carry me everywhere, then." she muses, and I walk around the car, knowing that she'll keep up rambling for a while. "But then the muscles in my legs would turn to mush and I couldn't walk, so maybe not." she says, looking at me thoughtfully as I slide into the driver's seat. "But definitely more with the kissing."

"Then it's decided. So, you still want pancakes?" I ask, and she nods excitedly. 

"Ooh, chocolate chip pancakes." she says, grinning at me happily, grabbing my hand and squeezing it lightly. I smile back at her, truly not knowing how one person can have possibly changed my life as much as she has.

"Anything, babe." I tell her, and she kisses my cheek.

"Good, because I love chocolate chip pancakes." she says, turning up the radio and singing along to Cake's Frank Sinatra.

Zack's gonna be so proud of his baby sister. My baby girl.

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A/N: hey! It's kinda craptastic and short, but I have writer's block in a big way. Tell me what you think, honestly.

Luv you, all of my wonderful reviewers!!!

molly jeane :D

  
  
  
  
  
  



	9. Silent prayers to forgotten heroes

"Mmm... I love chocolate chip pancakes." I mumble happily as our food comes to the table. Ben just rolls his eyes, doing that incredibly hot 'I'm so hot I don't even have to try' smirk that makes me crazy. "What?" I ask, glaring angrily at him as his smirk just grows.

"Babe, you're on the verge of obsessing." he says, and I stick my tongue out at him.

"Hey, chocolate chip pancakes may just be the best breakfast food ever invented!" I pout, crossing my arms over my chest huffily. I hate how he can get me so riled up.

"Nope, nothing can top good old bacon and eggs." he says, and I just laugh. He gives me a pout, and I poke him in the arm. "Hey! What was that for?" he asks, rubbing it even though I barely touched him.

"It's not fair how you can make me so angry yet be so cute at the same time." I say, taking a bite of pancake.

He leans in, kissing me softly on the lips. "It's not fair how cute you are when you're angry. That's why I get you mad." he explains, lacing his fingers with mine. See? Again with the not-fair cute thing. I lean my head on his shoulder, pushing my plate away.

He gives me a look, and I hold back a smirk at how good he takes care of me. "I'm not hungry...again." I tell him, and he nods understandingly, rubbing my cheek with his thumb.

"I have some food in the truck, in case you get hungry." he says, and I nod. We pay the bill and head out to the car, his arm around me in that now-familiar pose.

"So, where we headed?" I ask, hopping into the passenger's seat with all the energy I can find in me- which is to say, not very much at all. I rub my temples as another rush of blood in my head ingrains itself into my migraine.

"Seattle...to our faithful C.O." he says, grinning happily. I smile nervously, not really wanting to think about all of that quite yet.

"What do you think he'll do about me?" I ask, my voice surprising me as I voice my thoughts.

"He's been looking for you since the escape, Liz. It'll mean the world to him to know that you're safe." he tells me, looking into my eyes so I can see the truth in his. I sigh, leaning my head against the headrest tiredly.

"Thanks, babe." I say, my voice only a soft whisper. "You mind if I take a nap? My head feels like it's about to explode." I tell him, and vaguely hear him assuring me to. "Night." I whisper, sinking into a dreamless sleep.

Ben's PoV

I think that she's feeling worse now. She's clammy, and warm, even by transgenic standards. I'm trying my best to help her feel better, but I honestly don't know what to do. Not a good feeling for someone who, according to our creators, was "educated in every field."

I just keep driving, trying not to think about it, but my thoughts are like a god damn mental boomerang, and keep leading me back to her. How I _should have_ protected her. It's not fair to her...I promised to keep her safe. I just hope I can come correct, and help her through this bitch.

Liz pries her eyes open against her body's harsh demands, trying to clear her mind of the god that shrouds her. "Ben?" she asks softly, the blood pounding in her head alarmingly loud. Her throat feels dry, unused, and she's too tired to look around to see if he's there. She just closes her eyes against the harsh light of the night.

"I'm right here, Liz." he says, squeezing her hand. She relaxes a little, but then opens her eyes, wildly filing her thoughts to think of where they are.

"Where are we?" she asks, looking around confusedly, feeling like she has amnesia.

"Seattle. I pulled over to see if you were hungry." he says, holding up an orange. She shakes her head weakly, looking out the window, a small sparkle flashing in her eye as she spots that they're parked next to the Space Needle, then it fades away, replaced by a tired look.

"Ben, can we go up it?" she asks, and he shakes his head.

"Not until you eat something." he says, worried about her. She pales considerably, shaking her head slightly.

"Honey, I can't. I'll get sick if I do."she says, looking at him with those big doe eyes that Bambi would die for. "Please, Ben, take me up there. I want to feel the wind." she says, smiling softly at him, and he caves, walking around the car and helping her out.

He immediately lifts her into his arms. But, knowing that she can't do it herself, she wraps her arms around him in an attempt to gain some of his warmth. so cold.... She's so warm, burning Ben's hands as he holds her, but she shakes with cold. "Ben, it's freezing out here. Are we almost there yet?" she asks as he hurries up the steps, striding as fast as his transgenic abilities will allow.

"We're here, baby, don't worry." he assures her, carrying her into the observatory. He sets her so she's standing up, but he wraps both arms around her to keep her balance steady.

"It's beautiful." she whispers softly, putting her hands on his arms and pulling him closer. She looks up at him, with those adoring eyes, and runs her finger along his stubbly cheek. "I love you," she whispers, her eyes going unfocused, the lids closing over them as she collapses, Ben's arms the only thing keeping her safe.

He lowers her to the ground, laying her limp body in his lap as he checks for her weak, but still beating pulse. He strokes her hair, pulling out his cell and dialing the one number that he knew he could help.

"Zack, Liz is sick. I'm at the Space Needle. Hurry." he says, pleading silently for the long-forgotten Blue Lady to help him.

I know I gave up on you a long time ago.. he prays, rocking her back and forth slightly, wrapping his coat around her. But please, just let me have this one good thing in my life....I need her.

AN

hey, y'all!!! how'd you like it? Sucked? Made you vomit? Please, please tell me, folks!!! I want to know what you think...oh, by the way- happy or sad ending? Winner gets to choose!!!!!!

Luv ya much!! Hugs, kisses, and hot cocoa all around! (Well, gosh darn it, it's just so yummy)

mwa

molly jeane :D


	10. A fallen soldier

A man with dirty blonde hair runs into the Space Needle, followed by a man in a white coat and a girl with curly, raven hair. The man runs up faster than humanly possible, his legs just a blur as he races against time to help save his baby sister.

He reaches the top, pausing at the scene in front of him. A beautiful girl, his baby sister, lays in Ben's lap, motionless and ghastly pale, as Ben holds her tightly, whispering to her that everything will be all right, even if he knows it may not be.

"Ben," Zack says softly, but Ben just sits there, looking at Liz even as Dr. Carr checks her vitals. He sits down next to his brother, patting his back awkwardly. "Ben, are you okay?"

Ben shakes his head slightly. "I broke my promise, Zack." he looks at his brother, disbelief and self-disgust etched into his features. "I couldn't protect her."

Sam Carr shakes his head, looking down at Liz. "I don't think you could have done anything. This girl's sick, and she needs to go to a hospital."

"We can't do that, what about someone finding out about us?" Ben tells him, then looks at him scrutinizingly, his instincts to protect Liz going into overdrive. "And who the hell are you?"

"He's with us, he knows who we are, and if he says she needs a hospital, he's telling the truth." Zack answers before Dr. Carr gets a chance. "I'll ride with you." he adds as Ben lifts Liz carefully, as if she might break at any given moment.

The girl follows, knowing that she can't make her presence known to her brother quite yet, that he's obviously occupied. She looks at Liz, lying in Ben's arm, and tears form in her eyes. She'll be all right. She has to, I've only just found them all. We can be a family again.

Harbor Lights hospital, 9 minutes and 17 seconds later...

Liz lies on a hospital bed as Dr. Carr administers numerous tests to try to determine what's wrong. He wasn't going to allow anyone in, but it was obvious that this Ben fellow would have gone crazy with worry if his girlfriend had been alone.

"Liz, baby, wake up," Ben says softly, and as much as Dr. Carr tries to keep patient-doctor emotional distance, his heart goes out to the young man. "You'll be fine, ok? I'll always keep you safe, I promise."

Sam walks out of the room with a nod to the young man, and heads to the lab to determine what's wrong.

Liz's PoV (yes, she's still unconscious)

What's going on? Where's Ben? I try calling his name, but I am a prisoner of my body. Blackness surrounds me, and I'm scared. I concentrate on feeling things around me, on trying to remove the blackness.

I can hear a soft beeping noise, which tells me that I'm either in hearing distance of an alarm clock, or I'm in a hospital. Probably the latter. I can feel a familiar, calloused hand holding mine. Just knowing that he's here makes it better. The thought of him watching over me sends a warm feeling through me, knowing that he will never let anything happen to me.

"Liz, baby, wake up." I hear him tell me, and I just hope that he knows that I'm trying. "You'll be fine, ok? I'll always keep you safe, I promise." he swears, and if I was awake, I'd probably be crying.

I love him more than I've ever loved anything in my entire life, and I trust him with my all. Baby, please know that I'm trying. Knowing that you'll be there when I wake up makes me want to more than anything in the whole wide world. I'm trying, Ben.

Zack's PoV

I can't believe that the first time I see my little sister, she's so sick. I'm the CO, it's my job to make sure that everyone's ok! I should have known that the doctor was not a good man, but I let it slip.

I messed up big time, and now Liz has to pay for my mistake. Max puts her hand over mine, and I try to smile. "She'll be fine, Zack. Don't tear yourself up. There's nothing you could have done, you know?"

I shake my head. "No, Maxie. I should have known that doctor was a crook. But I figured that he'd been good to her for so long..." I trail off, the hand that isn't under hers clenched into a fist. She wraps her arms around me.

"Zack, you've done more for us that I would think was possible." she says, leaning her head on my shoulder. "If it wasn't for you, I would have been taken away." she says, and I put my arm around her, hoping that she feels safer.

"I couldn't let them do that, Maxie. I could never let anyone get to you." I tell her, not able to tell her how deeply I feel about her. She's different from everyone else in our unit; she was the one who made me a person, not a soldier.

"I know, Zack." she says, looking up at me with those chocolate eyes of hers. "Thanks." she tells me, kissing me on the cheek and laying her head back down on my shoulder.

Maybe there's hope yet.

An hour later, Harbor Lights.

Dr. Carr walks down the hallway with a folder in his hand, not sure how to tell them. Zack spots him, and stands up, Max following his lead. He hands the folder to them, knowing that they'll probably want to see the results for themselves.

"How is she?" Max asks him as Zack flips through the file. "She'll be ok, right?" Seeing the look in Sam's eye, she grabs for Zack's arm, oblivious to anything else.

"Do you want to get your brother?" he asks, looking at the closed door. Max and Zack look at each other, then shake their heads.

"We can tell him after you leave, maybe censor it a little." Max says, looking at the door.

"The doctor that she was seeing didn't think before he gave her the virus." Sam says, and Max looks to Zack worriedly, noting that the muscles in his jaw are working furiously. Continuing, he goes on, "X5's have feline DNA, am I right?" he asks, and they both nod. "Well, as you probably know, felines go through heat." he explains, and Zack grows impatient.

"Listen, will you stop telling us what we know and start telling us what we don't?" he asks angrily, and Max nods.

"Liz has been taking a new, highly radical drug called NeuroSemita to suppress her heat cycles. She has never really been through one before, since she's been given the drug since the beginning of her cycles. She's going through a type of shock both from being off the drug and to her first heat, and her body doesn't know how to react to it. She's dropping loads of pheromones and her immune system doesn't know what to do. Add in the virus that weakened her in the first place, and I have a feeling we may have to put her into a drugged coma for a few days, to let her body recover from the shock." he says, and Zack's head drops.

"She'll be all right, though? After she wakes up, she'll be fine?" Max asks hurriedly, clinging to Zack's side as he puts his arm around her.

"After she wakes up, she should be fine. She may have a bit of memory loss, but she should be fine." Dr. Carr says, and Zack gives him a look. He nods, "Right, I'll let you be alone for a while. Call me when you're through, so we can give the girl some drugs."

"Her name is Liz." Max mumbles softly, seeking solace in a hug from Zack. "She'll be all right, she'll be all right." she keeps mumbling to herself, a silent prayer to the Blue Lady.

"She'll be fine, Maxie. She's just come home." Zack says, holding her against him and praying that what he says is true. He pulls away, grabbing her hand and looking at the closed door. "I should tell him."

Max swallows, nodding. "Yeah, we should." she says, ignoring his look at the word 'we'. "I'm not not gonna tell him."

She opens the door, peering in cautiously at Ben. He's holding Liz's hand, watching over her. I wonder if anyone would bother doing that to me. Max wonders, saddening at the answer that probably no one would. "Ben?" she asks, and he looks up, his face a mask, blank. But you can still see that he's hurting. "It's me, Max." she says, and he smiles softly, rubbing the back of Liz's hand absently.

"Hey, Maxie. I thought it was you." he says, trying to smile.

"The doctor came around." Zack tells Ben, and he looks up from Liz. He sighs, cracking his neck, a nervous habit. "It turns out that the doctor she was going to gave her medicine to suppress her heats, and she's in shock without the medicine in her system when she first started dropping pheromones." he looks at the file. "It says that she's still a week from her heat, but add the virus into the combo, and you've got a bad mix. Everything added up, and she's really weak." he says, and Ben shakes his head, not knowing what to say. "They have to put her in a drugged coma." he tells his brother cautiously, receiving a feral look. "Ben, there's no other way."

"Fine." Ben says quietly, shrugging and turning to face the bed. He looks back, struck by something. "Is there any way that we can take her out of the hospital? I just don't think that she'd want to wake up here." he says, and Zack nods.

"We can use my apartment." Max suggests, shrugging at the looks she gets. "My roommate moved out with her cop-boyfriend, and I have an extra room now. It's not much, but it'll do for now." she says, and Ben smiles.

"Thanks. From both of us." he says, and Zack raises his eyebrows, not knowing that they were this serious about each other.

"Well, I just got an apartment here, too. If Maxie wouldn't mind me bunking with her, you could have the whole place, for when she wakes up." Zack says, looking at Max.

"It's fine with me, probably better that you guys have privacy, anyway." she muses, turning towards the door. "I'm gonna go tell Sam."

Zack claps Ben on the back. "She'll be ok, Ben. She's made it through a lot worse than this." he says, "I'm going to call everyone."

Ben nods, "That'll be good. They'll want to know." he says, squeezing Liz's hand slightly as the door clicks shut. "See, Liz? Look how much we all miss you already. Especially me." he tells her, kissing her hand.

Liz's PoV

"See, Liz? Look how much we all miss you already." he tells me, "Especially me."

I'm going to be out of it for at least a week? That's a week of my life, just gone. Why does my immune system like crashing on me so much lately? God, it's verging on overkill...

I can't believe how much everyone is willing to do for me. I've never had that much support from anyone, excluding my mother. I can't believe that Zack was so willing to give up his apartment for me.

My family loves me enough to do all of this for me....I'm finally home.

Well, at least I would be, if I were awake.

A/N

SURPRISE!!! Max is back! And also totally a different chick than Liz. Hope you liked the surprise, as well as the chapter. This one was pretty angsty, but don't worry- I promise to have witty banter (well, to the best of my writing abilities) next chapter. Voice what you think! If everyone hates it, then I'll repost the chapter.

Ok, please, PLEASE don't kill me for not updating. I didn't do so for two reasons- 1, I didn't get any reviews for the last time I had posted, and 2- my parents decided to move into town (a whopping ten minutes away), so I'm busy packing and practicing for cheerleading, too.

To my readers- you guys are why I do this! Thanx for putting up with all of my crap!!!

Luv ya lots,

molly jeane


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